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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rule — a law
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — humankind
  13. mug — a face
  14. race — a contest
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mug — to rob
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rule — government
  20. club — a group
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com